The present invention relates the a lift and carrier assembly for a personal-transport vehicle such as a motorized scooter. The lift and carrier assembly is adapted to be mounted on a motor vehicle such as an automobile or van, and thereby facilitates transport of the personal-transport vehicle.
Personal-transport vehicles such as motorized scooters are commonly used by persons who have ambulatory difficulties or other disabilities. Motorized scooters are generally too large to be transported inside of a motorized vehicle such as a passenger car. Furthermore, motorized scooters can weigh several hundred pounds. Thus, loading a motorized scooter onto and off of a motorized vehicle can present substantial difficulties.
Various carrier devices have been developed to facilitate the transportation of motorized scooters using passenger cars and other motorized vehicles. These devices are typically mounted on a trailer hitch or similar connecting point on the motorized vehicle. The motorized scooter rides outside of the motorized vehicle on a platform or similar-type component of the carrier device. The carrier device typically includes provisions that permit the motorized scooter to be driven onto the platform at ground level, and then lifted to prevent contact with the road surface during transport. The carrier device may include a mechanism that automatically secures the motorized scooter in place during transport.
Some carrier devices include provisions to store the platform when it is not in use. For example, the platform may be placed in a vertical position when a motorized scooter is not positioned thereon. This feature minimizes the overall dimensions of the carrier device when the carrier device is not in use.
Carrier devices that automatically move the platform into a stored position and automatically secure the motorized scooter usually rely on relatively complex mechanisms to accomplish these functions. Increases in mechanical complexity typically raise the cost, weight, and size of a carrier device, and can reduce reliability. These trends are highly undesirable, as the users of carrier devices generally demand low cost, light weight, compact dimensions, and high reliability in such devices. Furthermore, the use of an articulating platform usually decreases the overall rigidity of the carrier device. Lower rigidity decreases the ability of the carrier device to withstand the shock, vibration, acceleration, and turning forces normally encountered when the carrier device is being transported.
A need therefore exists for a carrier device for a motorized scooter or similar-type device that can raise and lower the motorized scooter, can automatically be configured in a compact manner when the motorized scooter is not positioned thereon, and can automatically secure the motorized scooter in place. A carrier device that performs these functions without the use of complex mechanisms is highly desirable. A relatively high degree of rigidity is also a desirable characteristic in such a device.
A presently-preferred embodiment of a lift and carrier assembly for a personal-transport vehicle comprises a lifting column, an actuator mechanism comprising an actuator column and a motor coupled to the actuator column and the lifting column for lifting the lifting column, a mounting column fixedly coupled to the actuator column, and a pivot plate rotatably coupled to the lifting column. The lift and carrier assembly also comprises a platform fixedly coupled to the pivot plate for supporting the personal-transport vehicle, and a cam follower coupled to the pivot plate.
The lift and carrier assembly further comprises a cam member fixedly coupled to the mounting column so that lifting of the lifting column causes the cam follower to contact the cam member thereby generating a contact force between the cam follower and the cam member. The cam follower is biased so that the contact force prevents the cam follower from being lifted when a weight acting on the platform is below a predetermined value thereby causing the pivot plate to rotate about the lifting column in response to the lifting of the lifting column, whereby the platform rotates from a substantially horizontal to a substantially vertical position when the lifting column is lifted.
Another presently-preferred embodiment of a lift and carrier assembly for a personal-transport vehicle comprises a mounting column, a lifting column, and an actuator mechanism comprising an actuator column fixedly coupled to the mounting column and a motor coupled to the actuator column and the lifting column. The actuator mechanism is adapted to lift the lifting column in relation to the mounting column. The lift and carrier assembly further comprises a first and a second pivot plate rotatably coupled to the lifting column, a platform fixedly coupled to the first and second pivot plates and being adapted to support the personal-transport vehicle, and a cam follower coupled to the first and second pivot plates by way of a slot defined in each of the first and second pivot plates.
The lift and carrier assembly also comprises a cam member fixedly coupled to the mounting column so that lifting of the lifting column when the platform is disposed in a substantially horizontal position causes the cam follower to contact the cam member. The cam follower is biased so that contact between the cam member and the cam follower restrains the cam follower from translating along a contact surface of the cam member when a weight less than a predetermined amount acts on the platform thereby causing the pivot plate to pivot substantially about the cam follower in response to the lifting of the lifting column, whereby the platform rotates from a substantially horizontal to a substantially vertical position when the lifting column is lifted.
The cam follower is also biased so that the contact between the cam member and the cam follower causes the cam follower to translate along the contact surface of the cam member when a weight approximately equal to or greater than the predetermined amount acts on the platform whereby the pivot plate remains in a substantially constant angular position in relation to the lifting column and the platform remains in the substantially horizontal position when the lifting column is lifted.
Another presently-preferred embodiment of a lift and carrier assembly for a personal-transport vehicle comprises a lifting column, a pivot plate rotatably coupled to the lifting column, a platform fixedly coupled to the pivot plate for supporting the personal-transport vehicle, and a mounting column. The lift and carrier assembly further comprises an actuator mechanism comprising an actuator column fixedly coupled to the mounting column and a motor coupled to the actuator column and the lifting column. The actuator mechanism is adapted to move the lifting column in a substantially linear direction in relation to the actuator mechanism.
The lift and carrier assembly also comprises a cam member fixedly coupled to the mounting column so that substantially linear translation of the lifting column causes the cam follower to contact the cam member. The cam member is biased toward the cam follower so that contact between the cam member and the cam follower restrains the cam follower from substantially linear translation when a weight less than a predetermined amount acts on the platform thereby causing the pivot plate and the platform to pivot substantially about the cam follower in response to the substantially linear translation of the lifting column.